Book Trade between Europe and China Article Analysis

Article Analysis in Relation to the Nature of the Book Trade between Europe and China Written by T.P. Yang, The New Book Trade in Shanghai, is an amazing article that attempts to define the roots and growth of the new book trade establishments in China.

Appearing in The China Weekly Review, the article not only highlights the factors that contributed towards the said growth, but also the reasons for the depression in sales during the previous year (1930), and the various approaches that merchants adopted in an attempt to remedy the situation. In relation to the factors that contributed towards the growth of the new establishments, the author highlights five key points.

These include; the growing demand from the reading public, the opening of outfits keen on spreading propaganda, the profit potential of the sector, the need to offer an alternative to the rigid processes of earlier entities, and the desire by those out of work at the time to try out new ventures. The author also speculates on the factors that had almost crippled sales during the previous year.

These, according to the author include, but they are not limited to, circulation issues because of the war, local authorities’ interference, and the depreciation of silver. The merchants were, however, determined to remain afloat. Towards this end, they devised a number of strategies aimed at remedying the adverse effects of the depression. The strategies were inclusive of; issuance of periodicals and organizing of reading clubs.

Essentially, this is a well written article that properly captures the onset of the modernist book stores first in Shanghai, and later on in the larger China. Towards this end, it will provide a strong foundation as I seek to define and assess how the reading culture in China was further enhanced during this period. Therefore, in seeking to illustrate the nature of the book trade between Europe and China, this particular article will come in handy in highlighting and evaluating the Chinese perspective.

It is important to note that in addition to being well-written, the article is also organized in an easy to follow format and also makes use of simple language. The author’s presentation of information in an organized and objective format enhances the article’s well-grounded nature. Even in reporting the developments at the time, the author does offer constructive criticism of various issues. For instance, he does question the rationality of the merchants’ decision to start issuing periodicals in an attempt to remedy the depression.

His assertions demonstrate his proficiency in this the subject matter, effectively enhancing the validity of the article. The China Weekly Review, the journal in which this article appears was a well-regarded journal that concerned itself with news and issues relating to Chinese affairs. It is important to note that from time to time, the journal found itself at loggerheads with the government over its coverage and publishing of issues deemed controversial. Towards this end, the said journal could be seen as being independent.